Truth or Dare, Kiddies
by WyomingCH
Summary: Just an innocent game of Truth or Dare between all of the characters in my story Celestial Love.
1. Wanna Play?

Once the conversation stopped buzzing, break got very quiet. Without really thinking about it, Albus looked up from where he was sitting with his head on Kenshin's shoulder and said,

"Who's up for a Muggle game of Truth or Dare?"

After a quick explanation to those wizards who didn't grow up with Muggle games, everyone agreed it could be fun. Mairead was elected to start.

"Hm...Celeste." she said with a smile, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Celeste replied confidently. She loved truth or dare. She used to play it all the time, before she discovered that she was a witch and her time became consumed with wizardry things of all magical sorts.

Mairead put her fingers together as she thought for a few moments.

"Hmm...I've got it!" she said grinning, "I dare you to tell Scorpius what his nickname is. And I don't mean the ones that you use around him. I mean what you call him when you're around me and Jenny."

Celeste's face immediately fell.

"That's a truth!" she protested weakly. The look on Mai's face told her she didn't really have a choice and she turned to Scorpius, who had an eyebrow arched in expectation. "I call you..." she mumbled it.

"_Susca moi_?" he asked. "What was that?"

"_Ictis_." she said finally, blushing red as a tomato. "I call you _Ictis_."

"Which means?" he pressed.

"That wasn't a part of the dare." Celeste said. "And if anyone dares me to tell him what it means, I'll tear their face off."

Mairead, who was snickering the entire time, snapped her fingers indignantly at the last part.

"Oh, come on!" she said, tempted to swear but deciding against it since her little sister was right next to her, "Next time, I'm being completely and utterly clear when I dare someone."

"I am _so_ not daring you, Celeste." Skylar said, stiffling a laugh, "It's your turn to ask someone."

Celeste sighed, but turned to James. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." he said cockily.

She smiled, which wiped the smile off his face in a flash. "Fine. I dare you to kiss Skylar."

His face paled and he looked close to transparent. He looked at Skylar, who shook his head and said "I like you_mon ami_, but you kiss me and I'll mess you up." James turned back to Celeste with a pained look on his face. She smirked.

"Figure it out because I'm not picking someone else or giving you a different dare." she said.

James groaned and made a face like he had been condemed to death. Skylar looked around desperately.

"Oh gosh, this is why you invite a Ravenclaw to this. I know what to do." Mairead said, and leaned forward to whisper and instruction to Skylar.

He listened for a moment before grinning and nodding slightly before turning to James.

"In France, kissing someone on both cheeks is a greeting, even among men. So you don't technically have to get closer to me than that." Skylar replied, looking at James.

"I remember it's what Skylar did when he first met Kenshin." Mairead said shrugging, "It's part of what caused some of the jealousy from Albus."

Albus blushed a bit but smiled and nodded, acknowledging it was true.

Looking hesitant, but a bit better now, James kissed both of Skylar's cheeks.

"You never said anything about on the lips." Skylar said before Celeste could protest, "You're up, James."

Celeste laughed and shrugged. "I'll take it. It was technically a kiss. Who are you going to dare James?"

"Scorpius." he replied victoriously. "Pick: truth or dare?"

"Dare." Scorpius said uncertainly.

"Alright." James said. "I want you to..." he leaned over and Leighandra whispered something in his ear. He smiled wickedly. "I want you to kiss Celeste and I won't accept anything other than a 'real kiss."

Scorpius looked like his pants had just been lit on fire.

"You want me to what?" he choked.

"Kiss that witch sitting next to you like it's no one's business!" James demanded, pointing at Celeste. She was mouthing words silently and indescribably until he said that, which was when she found her voice.

"Really James? Why me?" she hissed.

He shrugged. "Mostly because it's funny."

She glared at Scorpius. "You lay so much as a finger on me and I'm castrating you with a spoon."

"Come on Celeste, don't be like that." said Gabby, who was lying in James' lap. "It's just one kiss; what's your problem?"

"If I don't do this, do you know what his rebound dare will be?" Scorpius asked. Celeste shook her head- if one thing was for sure, it was that James Potter was as unpredictable as a natural disaster. "It'll be much, much worse and I can assure you that you will be in it. Just get it over with."

Celeste sighed, but leaned in and kissed Scorpius quickly before leaning away. "Scorpius' turn."

"Kay." he sighed. "Mairead, truth or dare?"


	2. It Gets Exciting

At James's dare, Mairead, Rowan and Albus couldn't help but all contribute a loud "Ohhh!" to the conversation and laugh a bit. It seemed James had learned the lesson on dares that no one else had learned up to that point.

"Oh gosh," Mairead said, still giggling but covering her eyes slightly, "that was strange. Hm...oh what the heck, I'll break the mold. Truth."

She removed her hand from her eyes and sat up straight, waiting for Scorpius' question.

"Do you like Skylar?" Scorpius asked, shrugging. "I know he asked you to the ball after Kenshin and Albus agreed to go together."

"No, a real question honey, like would she make out with him?" Leighandra interrupted.

"Or more?" Gabby put in from her usual place, still in James' lap.

"And all of the above." Scorpius added, looking expectantly at Mai.

Mairead smiled and gave a non-descript gesture with her head.

"I had a feeling you were going to ask me that or something like that." she said, exchanging a glance with Skylar, "I think that Skylar seems pretty awesome so far. But, I've only know him for a few days. I know this sounds like a cop out, but I really don't know. He and I are going to the ball as just friends. Whether or not it becomes more is to be determined."

"We did talk about that after I gave her the invite and I pretty much stand the same." Skylar added with a nod.

"And in regards to Gabby and Lee's questions, if I do end up liking him, I would make out with him. But I wouldn't go further unless Skylar plans on proposing."

Both she and her friends laughed and she finally took her turn after recovering from their giggle fit.

"Hm...I won't go to Rowan, that's too obvious." she said, a finger to her chin.

"Thank you." Ro replied.

"So...Leighandra. Truth or dare?"

"_Truth_." Leighandra said emphatically. "I, unlike most of the people who seem to be sitting here, learn from other people's mistakes. I don't want to end up doing anything like...you know, I'll leave that to your imagination. So, Mairead, what's my truth?"

Mai couldn't help but snicker slightly at the uncomfortable/guilty looks on some of the people who took dares.

"I don't want to do the whole 'do you like so-and-so' thing again because it'll look like I'm copying Scorpius," she said, sounding with she was working out a problem in class, "So, I'll go with, what is a secret that you've never told anyone before?"

"Hmm... A secret I've never told anybody about...that's a tough one because I tell my friends almost everything...hmm. Let's see...the only real thing I've never told anybody is my mother's name. Her name was Arihanna Mariah Anders and she died in childbirth, giving me to my father." Lee said softly, her eyes glazing over when she spoke of her deceased mother.

Everyone had suddenly gotten very quiet.

"Nice going, Mai." Rowan said, eying her sister who was making a very guilty face.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry Lee." Mai said, biting her lip, "Here, if you want you can fire back at me for that. It's only fair."

She glanced around the circle feeling really bad and vowing silently to just stick to "who do you like" questions from now on.

"It's alright Mai," Leighandra said softly. "It was pretty much the only thing I hadn't ever told a person. I'm not offended or angry with you. So, my turn, correct? Sooooo...SKYLAR! Truth or dare?!"

"Well, I'm glad you're not mad, but I still apologize." Mairead said before turning to Rowan who was shaking her head, "Oh, shush you."

To Mai's right, Skylar had completely blanched.

"_Mon Dieu_," he said, shaking his head, "well I'm not kissing anyone else so I suppose I'll go with truth."

Leighandra thought about it for a moment. "Hmm. Truth huh? Well...How about...What are you willing to do to become the richest and most important and somehow invincible man on the Earth?"

Skylar brightened, seemingly very relieved by the question.

"I would kill all of you here, no, I'm kidding." Skylar said with a laugh, "Hm...well I'll tell you what I'm not willing to do. I would not give up my puppy. I would not compromise my integrity or myself. I would not sell out my friends or family. I would never give up being a wizard and going to Hogwarts. And I would under no circumstances do anything that would hurt my little sister, physically or otherwise. Other than that, I think I'd be fine with almost anything else..."

He thought slowly, as if he was forgetting something and that one thing would all of a sudden be the thing he would have to do.

"Yeah, no. I think that's it. That was a really good question, _mon ami_. So, let me see...who hasn't gone yet?"

Skylar slowly scanned the group of people who raised their hands. To his immediate left he spotted Rowan, Kenshin and Albus, all with their hands raised sheepishly.

"But your hand down, Rowan, _mon cher_. I'll leave your sister to be the one who picks you." Skylar said with a smile.

"Oh, thank goodness." Ro said, her hand hitting lap immediately.

"So, let's go...Albus. Truth or dare?"

"Oh goodness. Truth." Albus said, positioning his head on Kenshin's shoulder once more.

"Your truth...did you hate me when you first met me?"

The small group of friends exchanged a glance, but Albus didn't hesitate.

"Yes." he said briskly, "But that was because I thought Kenshin liked you. Once everything got...um...set right, so to speak, I was over it and I like you just fine now."

He smiled and Skylar looked relieved.

"So, my turn." Albus said cheerily, "Should I do Kenshin or is that too obvious?"

"I'd really prefer if you did _not_ pick me, Albus-chan." Kenshin said shyly.

Albus instead turned to the group, "What do you think guys? Should I be that mean and pick him?"

"I think you'll have to be that mean." James said with a somewhat evil smile. "Rowan is reserved for her sister to torture. That leaves only Kenshin who hasn't gone who's actually playing."

Mai couldn't help but laugh a bit at the words "Rowan is reserved for her sister to torture".

"Don't torture me _too_ much, sissy." Ro said, shifting her position to lay in her sister's lap.

"Don't worry, I'll only do it a little." Mai joked and Ro gave her a death-glare from upside-down, sticking out her tongue playfully.

Albus smiled and turned to Kenshin.

"Sorry, darling. Looks like your up to bat. Kenshin, my love, truth or dare?"

Kenshin blushed a bit at the prospect of so many people suddenly watching him.

"Um...truth. And go easy on me, Albus-chan." he said nervously.

"I'm not going to be cruel." Albus laughed, "I'm asking you, when I asked Mai to the ball, did you hate me?"

Kenshin looked a bit relieved at the question.

"Of course not, Albus-chan. I still loved you, which made it even harder for me. I also felt a bit jealous of Mai-chan, which I hated even more than feeling like I lost you. But no. I didn't hate you, either or you, and I never could. All in all, I am glad it happened, since it gave us all the opprotunity to grow a bit and understand each other."

Albus blushed and kissed Kenshin on the cheek. Mai smiled and put her arms around Kenshin, Albus and Skylar.

"You're turn, Kenshin." Skylar said grinning.

"Well, just to get back to the beginning and give Ro-chan a chance to go, Mai-chan, truth or dare?" he said shyly.

"Truth." Mairead said, knowing even if she had picked dare Kenshin would be kind about it.

"What is your biggest fear?"

This was one Mai was able to answer right away.

"The death of my sister." she said unabashed. Rowan clambered up from Mai's lap and stared at her in disbelief.

"Really?" Ro asked, eyes wide and Mai nodded.

"Yes. I knew I feared it, but I didn't know just how much until I was helping Grandma deal with a boggart over the summer before you came as well. I almost had a heart attack when it took the form of your dead body. Grandma made me leave the room and make myself some tea until I felt better."

For several seconds, Ro just blinked and then she turned and gave her sister a hug.

"So," Mai said when they finally broke apart, "since you know you're up Ro, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Ro said, trying not to seem touched by her sister's story.

"What's _your_ biggest fear?"

"Hm..." Ro said, bouncing her head from side to side as she thought. "I've never met a boggart-thingy, but I think my biggest fear would be our family being torn apart. That scare me a lot."

Mai nodded, thinking she knew why her sister had that feeling. She reminded herself to check with her later, in private.

"So, my turn?" Ro asked and Mai nodded again, "Hm...I'll go with Celeste, since she's my sissy's best friend and I know a bit about her. Truth or dare?"

Celeste rolled her eyes. "It seems like truth is becoming the norm now, so give me a dare."


	3. They Turn Up The Heat

Rowan's eyes lit up at Celeste's choice.

"Ooh, okay!" she said cheerily, "I dare you to either kiss or slap Scorpius based on how you currently feel about him."

There were a few "ooooohhhh"'s at the dare and Mairead cocked her head.

"That was actually quite diabolical, sis. I'm proud of you." she said, grinning.

"It doesn't even have to be a kiss on the lips, it can be on the cheek, I'm not picky." Ro said, looking rather pleased with her dare. "Sorry, Scorp." she added, noting how uncomfortable the Slytherin now looked.

Celeste groaned. "What is it with you people and daring me to kiss Scorpius?" she demanded, then faced the uncomfortable Slytherin. Thinking about it, she cocked her head while looking at him. Then, ever so sweetly, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Then, after that was done, she laced him across the face with the back of her hand.

"Ouch!" Scorpius said, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"It was for my dare stupid." Celeste replied. "Alright...just because I'm mean, Scorpius, truth or dare?"

"Dare." the boy replied confidently.

"Alright." Celeste said with an evil smile. "I dare you to serenade James in front of the entire school at dinner tonight and every night after until Friday. Then we'll finish your dare."

There was a collective _oooohh_ around the circle as he blanched a ghostly shade of white. "Please tell me you're joking." he begged.

"Nope." Celeste replied, popping her lips on the _p_.

"Fine." Scorpius replied, miserable.

Rowan shrugged her shoulders at Celeste's question and adjusted position so she was once again in her sister's lap, both girls watching intently. From above her, Ro felt Mairead's shoulders sag a bit in disappointment when it turned out to just be a kiss.

"Well, that was...nice." Rowan said, sounding a bit disappointed.

However, at Celeste's next gesture, Ro's eyes went wide and Mai sat up so straight she almost dumped Ro out of her lap. Most of the group laughed as Scorpius rubbed the spot on his cheek, which was becoming more and more red.

After that brief moment of excitement, the group settled back in for the next dare. However, the fervor rose once again and the dare was met with their usual chorus of "ooohh!" Mai's shoulders were shaking with quiet laughter (as were the shoulder of many other in the group) and Albus was looking at the look on his brother's face and laughing until he was in tears.

"Your turn, Scorpius!" Rowan piped up, before hiding her mouth behind her hand as she too laughed a bit.

"Fine." Scorpius snapped, seeming a little more than ticked off. "Mairead, truth or dare?"

Mai recovered from snickering long enough to answer.

"Well, I was going to say dare," Mairead said, glancing over at Scorpius, "but since you seem fit to do some serious damage, and I don't want to be on the receiving end of it, I'll go with truth again."

"Fine. Why are you such good friends with Celeste? It just seems like you follow her blindly and I was wondering why." Scorpius said.

Celeste's eyes narrowed and Scorpius was scared for a moment that she might hit him again and do some permenant damage this time.

At the question, Mairead narrowed her eyes more dangerously than Celeste had. Rowan, recognizing the look and knowing it meant trouble, scrambled backwards off of her sister's lap.

"Oh, Mother Mercy. Scorpius, you are in trouble now." Ro said, seeking shelter with Kenshin and Albus.

"Scorpius, I follow _no one_ blindly. I choose my friends carefully and am loyal to them." Mairead said venomously, "I'm friends with Celeste because she is kind and fun to be around. It's nice to have a friend who will listen to you and talk to you no matter what. I know Celeste is the type of person who is willing to talk and give advice even if it's three in the morning. She's cool. I'm friends with her for the same reasons I'm friends with people like Kenshin, Albus and Skylar."

She shot Scorpius a final poisonous, icy look before calming down once more.

"Right then...James. Truth or dare?"

"Uh...Dare..." James wasn't really sure he wanted to say dare, but he wanted a dare...He almost wanted to recant it and say truth when he remembered the Scorpius had been dared to serenade him for almost a week straight. The look on Mai's face made him sorry he'd said dare.

Mairead saw the look of concern of James's face and laughed slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." she said, thinking that her laugh had scared him even further, "I know you've got a reputation as a bit of a player, so I'll give you a choice. You can either go without flirting for a whole week or you can flirt with someone you never would normally even look at for a day. You pick."

James groaned. "Ughhhhh! Mai, I love you, but sometimes you make me seriously wanna pull my hair out... Well, I have a rep to uphold, so I guess I'll flirt with someone who I normally wouldn't flirt with. Are you going to pick the person or am I?"

Mai bit her lip in a slight mocking gesture and grinned widely,

"I'm not all that bad." she joked, "And you can pick the person. If I picked for you it would just end up being unnecessarily cruel."

James' face screwed up. "You can't be serious. The only person I wouldn't flirt with is Maya Midgeon. There is no way in bloody hell that I'm flirting with _that_."

"Come on James, there's got to be somebody else. Would you flirt with your little sister?" Lee said teasingly.

"Family doesn't count, I'm guessing." James looked to Mairead, who nodded her confirmation. "So it's got to be someone I wouldn't flirt with and I've flirted with...everyone, I guess. I've even flirted with you guys just for fun."

"So you've got to go flirt with Maya Midgeon?" Gabby asked, frowning from his lap. She didn't like the idea of someone flirting with her man and she said so. James smiled at his awarded title.

"I guess I have to."

Scorpius' face screwed up. "I feel so bad for you. My sympathies. And pity."

"Accepted." James nodded slightly, then stood up, dusting himself off. He walked into the hallways, searching out Maya. He could hear the rest of the group scrambling to 'inconspicuously' follow him and see this. He found Maya sitting with Maybelle Blaise, an ugly Hufflepuff and a mean Slytherin.

"Hey Maybelle." he said easily. He didn't have a problem flirting with Maybelle. She may have been completely made from evil bones, unlike Leighandra and Gabby, but she was pretty. Maya on the other hand, not so much.

"Hey James." Maybelle purred. James forced himself away from Maybelle and faced Maya.

"Hey Maya." he said, staining for casual.

She looked stunned. "Huh?"

"How are you?" he asked, deciding to start simple.

"Good...Why are you talking to me?" she asked.

"Because I can...? Is it a crime to want to speak with a fellow classmate?" he asked. Wow, this was getting off to a rocky start.

"No, it's just that, well, you've never talked to me before. Ever." she said, still confused. "Even when we were Transfiguration partners last year."

"Well, that was my loss, wasn't it?" he asked.

She blinked. "I still don't understand why you're talking to me."

James decided to kick-start this so that he could just move on and plot his revenge on Mai, which he already knew would involve Skylar, Scorpius, and a few House-elves. He took a few quick steps towards her, closing the space between them. "I'm talking to you because I can." He whispered in her ear, brushing her knotted hair away from her ear. "Is that so bad?" Maya's cheeks became a fiery red because she was so unaccustomed to the mere proximity of a male. He whispered a few more things that he regretted deeply and then stepped back, shot both girls a charming smile, and then retreated back to their Truth or Dare spot. He noticed everyone's barely retained laughter.

"Alright, no one breathes a word about that, understand?" he demanded.

Albus lost it, laughing so hard he collapsed.

"Oh, I am very serious." Mairead said. She knew she was taking a gamble that James could turn this around on her, but it was worth it. "And yes, you have to. My regards to Maya."

She gave James a grin. Sure, it was evil, but James asked for a dare and that was the name of the game. As he retreated into the hall to find Maya, she looked around the circle, where everyone sat giggling.

"Does anyone have a camera?" she begged as she craned her neck to get a better look.

A few moments later, James stalked back to the group, looking embarrassed and more than a little grossed out. Mai had a hand over her mouth as though trying to stuff her laughter back down her throat. When James sat back down, however, she of course failed.

"Lord, I'm dying. You killed me James, that was the funniest thing I've ever seen.!"

His look however said he didn't think so.

"Oh, c-come on J-James!" she stammered through laughing hysterically, "I-I couldn't have given you m-more of a choice!"

She collapsed against Albus, who had tears rolling out of his eyes at his brother's expense.

"Sorry, James!" Mai said, shrugging as she wiped moisture out of her eyes, "Your turn."

James snarled at Mai wordlessly, but moved on and asked "Celeste, truth or dare?"


	4. You Hugged the Potions Master?

"Truth." she said almost immediately. James' lip curled up into an unflattering smile. No doubt she wasn't risking another kiss with Malfoy over there.

"Tell me what _Ictis_ means." he said victoriously. "You said no one could _dare_ you to tell _Scorpius_ what it meant. Well, A) it wasn't a dare and B) you aren't telling him, you're telling me. So spit it out."

Her face paled and fury rolled like a storm cloud across her face. He could tell that she seriously wanted to just knock the crap outta him for that, but she was a logical person and knew there was logic in his Truth. So she held her chin high, looked James and _only_ James in the face and said "_Ictis_ means _Ferret_ in Latin."

The circle exploded into laughter, minus Scorpius.

"I don't get it." he said. "Why is that funny?"

They only laughed harder.

Mairead noted the angry look on James's face as a job well done and turned her attention back to the game. At Celeste's truth, she had to swallow the urge to say "ohhh!" since she knew Cel would kill her if she did. Instead she parted her lips in a soundless "o" shape, snickering slightly to herself.

Even though Mairead knew what the nickname meant, she couldn't help but laugh. The look on Scorpius's face only made her laugh harder.

"How?" she asked between laughter, "How can you not know this?"

She had every intention of staying incredibly tight lipped, but it was fun to tease the Slytherin and watch him spin a bit.

Scorpius didn't get it. Why would Celeste calling him a Ferret be so funny? What about that was laughable? Why did James look like he was going to die? Why was Gabby turning blue from lack of air? Why was Albus bent over at the waist because he was laughing so hard? Celeste had been reluctant to awnser James and now that she had, she was giggling madly with her hand over her mouth and struggling to not snort.

"Stop, stop, I'm gonna pee!" Gabby giggled in this horrible, awful, high pitch giggle that made Scorpius want to tear his eardrums out.

"How can you not know?" James wheezed.

"Still don't get it." he hinted.

"I'll explain it to him later." Mason chortled, trying to not lose it. "Celeste, your turn."

Celeste giggled and snorted. "Kay..." Her being made to tell every one what his nickname meant had put her in a bad mood, but it seemed that Scorpius' ignorance had put her in high spirits. "Skylar, truth or dare?"

Skylar, who had been briefed on the nickname and what it meant, wiped tears out of his eyes.

"Oh, let's see." Skylar said, coughing as he struggled not to laugh, "Well the last dare was a bit extreme..."

He shot Mairead a look who threw up her hands in annoyance.

"I gave him plenty of choice!" she said, partially scowling and laughing at the same time, "He could have taken the option of not flirting for a week. He brought it on himself."

"Sure." Skylar said, folding his arms over his chest and nodding with a smile, which earned him a slap on the arm from Mai.

"Anyway..." he said, rubbing his arm in a slight mocking gesture, "...I fear the wrath of the women and their dares, but I'm feeling ambitious so...dare? Go easy on me, okay?"

"Oh, goodness, you all act like I"m the devil incarnate sometimes." Celeste scowled, but couldn't quite pull it off with how happy she was. "I'm not that bad about Dare, honestly. Hmmm, truth huh? Tricky, but I think I have just the thing. I dare you to give Kenshin an entourage. For one day, he's going to be walking around like he is the shizz of Hogwarts. But it's your job to round up who's all walking with him. They have to be people who would make the students all stop and stare and be like "Darnnnnnnn, Kenshin's gots himself an entourage." Got it?" she demanded.

"Oh, well then James, Albus, Scorpius, and Mason are all automatically in." Skylar said.

"Nooooooooo" Scorpius moaned, hiding his face in his hands. This game was going to scar him for life.

"That," he said, "is a great dare!"

"I know I'm not exactly the most awesome person, but I'd be more than happy to be in Kenshin's entourage." Mairead said warmly, "If that jives with the dare, of course."

"Me too!" Ro piped up.

"And excuse me, Scorpius, do you have a problem with being part of Kenshin's entourage?" Mairead said like a defensive bodyguard.

"Um...what's an entourage?" Kenshin asked and Albus filled him in.

"Totally jives with the dare." Celeste said. "In fact, I'll be in it too."

"No, I don't have anything against it, but really? I'm already serenading James for almost a week straight, now I'm in an entourage. Next thing I know, you'll have me singing ballads to a professor." Scorpius said.

"Don't give us any ideas." James warned with a smile.

"Awesome!" Mairead said excitedly and high-fived Rowan, "This will be fun!"

"Hm..." Kenshin said, stroking his chin in thought, "I like this idea of an 'entourage'. It will be nice to have so many friends so close by!"

Mairead started to laugh as Scorpius brought up the thought of singing to the Professor's.

"Could someone please dare him to do that? That would be hysterical!" she said, hands to her lips as she laughed.

"Oh! Speaking of which, it's my turn, no?" Skylar asked, "Um...Gabby! Truth or dare, _mon ami_?"

"I'll go with...Dare." she said with a mischevious smile.

"Hm..." Skylar said, thinking hard for a dare, "Well, since I don't know James very well yet, I'll give you a bit of liberty with this one Gabby. You have choice."

"Gee, you mocked me for giving a choice when I gave James his dare." Mai said, shooting Skylar a look.

"Oh, shush,_ mon cher_." Skylar said, waving her off playfully, "Anyway, you can either do something James detests for a whole day or stop doing something he really loves for a whole day. Sorry, James. This just isn't your day, _mon ami_."

"WELL..." Gabby said with a dramatic sigh. "He hates it when I hug other guys, so...HUGS!" SHe leapt and tackled Skylar to the ground, enfolding him in a bear hug. SHe jumped up right after that, hugging every male in the circle before running into the hallways screaming "Austin, hug me!"

"Holy Lord!" Skylar began before he was cut off by Gabby, "Yes, yes I love you too. Now get off."

Everyone laughed as Gabby attacked the guys much to James's chargrin. Albus retured the hug, just to incense his brother and Kenshin looked a bit frightened but returned it anyway. Gabby ran off in search of more people to hug and Skylar clambered back into a sitting position.

"Well," he said chuckling, "That went rather well."

Gabby returned somewhat winded and sat back down next to James. "I think I've hugged just about every male in the castle. I even got the Potions Master, but that was pretty much forced. Now..." she paused, looking around. "Leighandra, truth or dare?"


	5. Switching Houses

"Dare." the girl shrugged indifferently.

"I dare you to..." Gabby thought about it, tapping her chin, then smiled in inspiration. "I got it! I dare you to lick Scorpius' face!"

The Malfoy looked like he'd just been told she was going to rub cow ploppies all the way down his face. Leighandra, however, shrugged and pinned Scorpius to the ground.

"Quit moving or I'm going to drool on you!" she threatened. She got him to quit moving for a moment and that was enough for her to drag the length of her tounge from his chin to his forehead and he froze, a look of utter disgust and betrayal on his face. Leighandra sat back up, laughing. "Alright then, Rowan, truth or dare?"

"You hugged _Professor Elias_?" Albus asked, eyes wide, "Don't be surprised if he fails you tomorrow."

"Or kills you." Mairead added.

Based solely on the laughing that came next, Gabby's dare to Leighandra was the best of them all. Mairead and Rowan were leaning on each other for support as they wept with laughter and Albus had turned three different shade of purple and seemed to have a great bit of difficulty breathing.

"Oh...my...God...this...game!" Rowan choked out as she held her sides, "I swear...you guys...are going to...bruise my internal organs or something...I haven't laughed...this hard in...like, well ever."

As she started to laugh again at the sheer absurdity of it all, she held up her fingers in the sign of a capital "T".

"I think she trying to say 'truth', right?" Mai asked and Ro nodded vigorously, managing to stop laughing a bit.

"I...feel a...six pack...coming on..." Gabby wheezed as Leighandra sat back up and accepted Rowan's truth, thinking about it.

"Hmmm...Who is your current crush?" Lee asked, watching her curiously.

Ro was very aware that her sister was suddenly watching her very intently.

"Is that judgement I detect, Mai?" she asked, glancing over at her sister and smiling before turning back to Lee, "Hm...technically I don't really have a crush, but Hugo Weasley is very cute, I'm not going to lie. Albus, James, that doesn't leave the circle or I will _hurt_ you."

"She may be tiny, but she can pack a lot of vengeance, let me say." Mairead nodded.

"I dunno if I'd want to date Hugo anyway." Ro shrugged, "I mean, I'm eleven. Dating? Ew."

Mai wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders in a massive hug.

"That's my sis!" she beamed.

Ro returned the hug and smiled

"Let me think..." Ro said, head back in the game, "Who still needs to go?"

"Scout's Honor." James said, holding his hand up.

"James, you were never a scout." Mason said, frowning.

"True." James looked at Rowan. "I make no promises that something doesn't slip."

"Oh, yeah?" Rowan said, half kidding and half serious, opening her mouth to speak before Mai gave her a glance, "If he would _somehow_ find that out, I wouldn't deny it. Gryffindors are suppose to be brave, no?"

She gave her head a dramatic toss and then began laughing almost immediately.

"And I just thought of who can go next!" she said excitedly, "Mason, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" he said excitedly.

Rowan's eyes brightened.

"Oh, yay!" she said cheerily, "I have the perfect dare. For one whole day, you have to be someone's caddy. Y'know, carry their things for them, be there to hand them stuff they need it, all that typical stuff that caddies do."

She took a brief pause and scanned the circle.

"As for who's caddy you're going to be, I'm thinking...Scorpius. After all, he's gone through a lot during this game: he's been kissed, smacked, licked, called a ferret, press-ganged into an entourage and made to serenade James. I think he could use a someone catering to him for a day, don't you think? Or maybe I'm just too kind."

Scorpius looked pleased as Mason shrugged. It wasn't that bad of a dare. He carried books for people he didn't even know. Carrying Scorpius' things didn't seem too hard.

"Kay." He replied. "Ummmm...Celeste! Truth or"-

"I will pick dare, but if you dare me to do anything with Scorpius, I will come over Scorpius, across Mairead, and past Rowan to kill you, mark my words." she replied seriously.

"Ohhh, so touchy!" he said, smirking. "Nevermind then. I actually have a group dare, myself included."

"Ohhhh, I like the sound of this." Lee said. "What's the dare?"

"Switch with the opposite Houses. Slytherins will wear Gryffindor ties and vice versa. Ravenclaws will wear Hufflepuff ties and sit at the Hufflepuff table and vice versa." Mason smiled. "Whose game?"

"I think I'd probably move to give her a clearer shot." Mairead said under her breath to Ro, who snickered.

A few people exchanged a bit of a glance at this "group dare", but the prospect was much better than expected.

"Ha, I like that! I am definitely on board with that one." Mairead said, turning to Kenshin and Skylar, "You guys get a chance to see what the Ravenclaw table is like. I think Cel and I will end up having a bit of fun crashing with your housemates for a few meals."

Next to Mai, Ro groaned and put a hand to her head.

"Aw, I don't want to be a Slytherin for a day!" she protested.

"Hey, no worries." Albus said, putting a hand of her shoulder, "Switch stuff with me. There's a group of first year girls who kinda like me. Tell them you got the stuff from me and they'll offer you all sorts of money for it. It'll be hilarious. I'm in."

"Me too!" Ro said after a moment's deliberation, deciding that teasing some of the desperate, preppy fellow-first years was worth it.

"I'll go for it." Skylar said, nodding and Kenshin nodded his agreement too.

"Awesome!" M.J. beamed. "So who's trading with who? Albus just offered to trade with Ro...James who are you going to trade with? HAS to be a Slytherin."

James shrugged. "Jenny can have my tie."

"I'll trade with Gabs!" Celeste offered, launching herself at the girl for a bear hug. She tackled her and they both rolled to the ground.

Scorpius laughed, then asked, so who would the next turn go to since this is a group dare?"

Mason shrugged. "I say Kenshin, just because I want to see what he comes up with. What do you say Kenshin?"

"Well, I'll trade with either Skylar or Kenshin." Mairead offered, "They're kind of the only two Hufflepuffs I know."

"But one of us will be without a partner to trade robes with." Kenshin suggested.

"No worries. I have a few Ravenclaw friends who would probably find this dare hilarious and join in."

Skylar groaned, "No offense, _mon cher_, but I really don't want to wear a girl's robes."

"What, it's not like we have lace around our uniforms!" she said indignantly, "Besides, it's just the robes and the ties. I could make you wear my skirt."

That shut Skylar up really fast and he conceded to switching robes with Mai. At the offer to go next, Kenshin nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Degresia-san. I will pick...Albus-chan. No surpise, I am sure."

"No, none at all." Albus said, giving Kenshin a big grin, "Ah, what the hell. Give me a dare."

Kenshin thought for a moment.

"Alright, I'm not too good at dares, so this is more a promise than a dare. I want you to promise Mai-chan at least one dance at the ball since she was so gracious about losing you as a date."

"Aw, that's nice." Mai said, smiling.

Albus nodded vigorously, "Of course! I'd love to, it would be my pleasure."

"That's a terrible dare." Skylar teased, "You should have made them dance right now in front of everyone."

"He's too nice for that." Albus smiled, "Anyway, James, truth or dare?"


	6. It Gets Sirius

"Truth." James automatically said. He was learning his lesson. He wasn't going to pick dare anymore.

Albus pursed his lips slightly and shot James a mock smile.

"No dare?" he teased, "Alrighty then, truth. Hm...I know. As your brother, it is my job to torture you. So, what is your deepest, darkest secret?"

"Hmmm...my deepest, darkest secret?" James asked. "I don't know, I don't think you're ready for that. Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." Albus replied, annoyed.

"No, no you're not." James said. "It's too serious for you."

"Jaaaaaaammmmmmmeeessss!" Albus whined.

"Alright, alright!" James surrendered. He leaned forward, thus causing Albus to eagerly lean forward. In a whisper almost none of them could hear, he whispered "My _deeeeeeppppessssstt, daaaaaarrrrrrrrrkkkkkkeeeees sst_secret is...I'm a wizard."

"James, I HATE YOU!" Albus shouted, giving his brother a shove and shaking his head.

"What? What did he say?" Rowan asked intently, looking back and forth between the two Potter siblings.

"He said his biggest secret is that he's a wizard." Albus said, shooting James a look.

"Hey, how ironic, that's my biggest secret too." Skylar snickered.

"Yeah, amazing, mine too." Albus said and cracked a slight smile despite himself, "I believe it's you're turn, oh mighty wizard Sir James S. Potter."

James couldn't stop cracking up. The look of anger on his brothers face had been hilarious.

"Okay...Mairead, truth or dare?"

As much as Mai adored Albus as a friend, she couldn't help but laugh a bit, covering her mouth sheepishly. She took a moment to stop laughing before thinking about James's question. She had an overwhelming desire to say "dare", but this was James who she had just dared a few steps in the game before and had thus embarassed extremely. There would be other chances.

"I don't want to seem like a killjoy or something for constantly picking the same thing, but after my dare to James, I am NOT about to try any thing other than truth." she said, shooting James a cautious sideways glance, "So, truth."

"Hmmmm..." James tapped his chin. "Who was your first crush?"

Mai leaned her cheek against her fist as she thought.

"Ooh, that's a good question." She said, "I was a very bookish little child. I mean, surprise, right? I still am now. So...I think my first crush was when I was eight years old or so and..."

She broke off into a laughing fit as though the thought of it entertained even her.

"...I had a crush on my neighbor's son who was fifteen at the time because he was cute and worked at the library. And he was a Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, we still see him sometimes." Ro interjected, "He and Mai go on and on about being Ravenclaws and awesome it is."

"Shush, you." Mai said, blushing slightly but still laughing at the thought of her eight year old self and her former crush. "Good question, James! So, Scorpius. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Scorpius replied emphatically. He'd learned better than to accept a dare from this group.

Mairead acknowledged Scorpius's selection with a nod.

"Smart man." she said, before tugging on her ear in thought, "Now, as for truth...Anyone who knows me knows I'm very loyal to people..."

Next to Mai, Ro was nodding her head vigorously.

"...and I promised Celeste that I would not jump to conclusions about you and that I'd remember you aren't your relatives. But still, she is one of my best friends and I'd hate to see her get hurt at all. That being said, do you care for Celeste at all or is this all just a game to you? I realize it's a very personal question, so if you want to respond just to me, that's fine and I promise I won't tell a soul."

Half of the circle let out a groan at this, as though they were hoping to get some juicy gossip out of it.

"Aw, man." Ro said, crossing her arms and leaning back in annoyance.

Scorpius huffed out a breath. _Craaaaaapppppp_. He really didn't want to tell Mai what he really thought of Celeste and he _REAAAAALLLY_ didn't want to announce it in front of the entire group. But, he had to reply.

He sighed and motioned for Mai to lean over so she could let him whisper in her ear. Oh-so-quietly, so quiet he wasn't even sure the words left his mouth, he whispered "I truly care about my _agapi mou_." That said, he leaned away and said "Thanks for not jumping to conclusions about my blood and my family and stuff. People always look at me like I'm the next You-Know-Who."

Mairead leaned in, turning her head and brushing back he hair so Scorpius could whisper his response. It was barely audible, but she was able to discern what she had wanted to hear. She nodded ever so slightly and made no facial indication of what she had heard.

"Good, I'm glad. Thank you." she whispered back very silently before leaning away, sitting in her previous position.

Looking around the circle, Albus and Skylar looked about ready to maul her for information.

"I don't suppose you'll tell us even a tiny bit of what happened, _mon cher_?" Skylar asked, his voice reaching a slight whine.

"No," Ro answered before her sister had a chance, "once Mai-Mai makes a promise not to tell, she'll take it to her grave unless the other person tells her she can say it."

Mai nodded and Skylar and Albus sighed in frustration.

"The same goes for what Scorpius just told me. I won't tell a soul unless he tells me I can. And you're welcome, Scorp. I do come to the table with some prejudices, but I'm getting better and I'm teaching myself. I try not to be judgmental. I really think we owe that to each other."

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw." Albus said, giving Mai a playful bump with his elbow and throwing an arm around her shoulder, "You're up, Scorpius."

"Celeste, truth or dare?" Scorpius said, cocking his head to the side.

"Dare." she replied with a wicked smile.

"Okay." he replied. "I dare you to...hm...I dare you to hug Professor Elias."

Celeste's face turned bleach white, then an ungodly shade of magenta. "That's not funny Scorpius. That's a death wish."

"Relax, he's not going to kill you." Scorpius chuckled.

"Says you." Celeste retorted.

"Is that a deny? Need your rebound dare?"

She nodded.

"Go kiss him."

"I'm gonna go hug the Potions Master." Celeste announced, standing up. Scorpius went with her, just to make sure she did it. They trotted down into the dungeons and interrupted his class. He looked like he was ready to burst a blood vessal, but he didn't have time to reprimand them as Celeste darted to the front of the classroom and glomped him before running back out of the classroom. They were laughing when they got back to the circle.

"Oh Merlin, you should have seen it." Celeste giggled.

"I thought he was having a stroke." Scorpius laughed. "That's what, the second time today a student's hugged him?"

"Your turn Celeste." James snickered.

"Alright, alright," she panted, catching her breath. "Ro, truth or dare?"

The moment the dare escaped Scorpius's lips, the circle hushed. Mairead folded her hands together and said formally,

"Friends, we are here today to remember the life of Celeste Tally Kiasco, who was killed this morning by Professor Elias."

She, Albus, Skylar and Rowan began to laugh a bit, but one glance from Celeste and they quickly silenced. However, they couldn't help but start to laugh once more as Celeste accepted the original dare and hurried out of the circle.

As she returned, Mai began to clap.

"She lives! How did it go?"

The whole circle burst into laughed at Scorpius's statement. When the laughter finally died down, Ro cleared her throat and thought for a moment.

"Hm..truth!" she said with a smile.

"Hmmm," Celeste tapped her chin. "Okay, how about this? What's your deepest, darkest secret? James already told us everybody's: we're all magical. So nothing we know, but make sure it isn't too personal.

Merlin forbid that they have another 'Leighandra' Scene.


End file.
